Unusual: to avoid prison, Moroccan elected officials negotiate bribes in the Hammam

It is information that would lend itself to a smile if it were not so serious. According to reports from the Interior Affairs services transmitted to the prefectures of Casablanca, Marrakech and Rabat, several local elected officials have abandoned offices and cafes for... the hammams. The objective? To escape hidden cameras, mobile phones and the traps of the "Green Line" for reporting corruption.

According to informed sources cited by Hespress, the multiplication of dismissals and legal proceedings against unscrupulous elected officials has created paranoia among some municipal presidents. To continue their illegal business without leaving a trace, they now organize their business meetings in Turkish baths. In these places where nudity is the norm and electronics are banned, they feel safe from audio or video recordings that could shatter their political careers as the next elections approach.

But what is negotiated between two scrubs? Mainly the unblocking of invoices. The reports point to an institutionalized "racketeering" practice: contractors who have completed their work see their payments blocked indefinitely. The key to obtaining the president’s signature? A "cash" commission negotiated discreetly. Some elected officials go further by creating front companies or awarding fictitious contracts to relatives, thus diverting public funds and loans from the Municipal Equipment Fund (FEC) intended to finance urban upgrading.

Faced with these "shocking" revelations, the central services of the Ministry of the Interior are on alert. Minister Abdelouafi Laftit has given firm instructions to the walis and governors to accelerate the settlement of disputes and closely monitor these maneuvers. The files are piling up and the justice system, particularly the financial crimes chambers, could soon blow the whistle on the end of recess for these elected officials who are fans of meetings in the nude.